India dominates list of world's most polluted cities

Saul Bowman

The report was published by IQ AirVisual and Greenpeace which calculated the average amount of PM2.5 air pollution in each city over the course of 2018 using publicly available records updated in real time.

In total, authors found that 64 per cent of world cities exceeded WHO guidelines, with 100 per cent of measured cities in the Middle East and Africa breaking the limit. The pollutants also cause respiratory disorders and cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter (ambient airborne particles) measuring up to 2.5 microns in size, and has a range of chemical makeups and sources. Beijing now ranks as the 122nd most polluted city in the world. This has enormous impacts, on our health and on our wallets. On the other hand, Chinese cities have seen a marked improvement. The data says Delhi had an average yearly PM 2.5 concentration at 113.5 micrograms per cubic metre.

At a country level, weighted by population, Bangladesh emerged as the most polluted country on average, closely followed by Pakistan and India, with Afghanistan and Mongolia also within the top 10.

Turns out, the pollution rates are highest in three countries at present, India, China and Pakistan dominate the list.

Every single one of measured cities with data in the Middle East and Africa exceeded the World Health Organization guideline, while 99% of cities in South Asia, 95% of cities in Southeast Asia and 89% of cities in East Asia breached this level. "Common contributors of pollutants in South Asia include vehicle exhaust, open crop and biomass burning, industrial emissions and coal combustion", explains the report.

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